Picker stick for looms



May 14, 1929. w. A. TEBO 1,112 740 PICKER STICK FOR LOOMS Filed Aug. 17, 1928 I lnvenTo r. William A.Te,bo

- b wwuwi ATTy s- Patented May 14, 1929.

UNITED lsrAT Es. PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. TEBO, OF ANTI-TONY, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER CORPORA- TION, OF HOIEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF MAINE.

PICKER STICK son LOOMS.

Application filed August 17, 1928. Serial No. 300,280.

This invention relates to a picker stick for looms and is more particularly designed for use at the drop box end of a loom where the picker stick is: not connected with a parallel motion and where the upper end of the picker stick engages a sliding picker. It is desirable to form the main portion of a picker stick of wood to obtain the desired resiliency, but the continual hanging of the upper end of the wooden picker stick against the picker results in the rapid wear and breaking down of the wood. Such wear prevents the proper picking of the shuttle by causing the picker stick to bind in or injure the picker. It is therefore necessary frequently to replace the wooden picker sticks, which requires labor, renders the loom inactive while replacement is being made, and is consequently a matter of substantial expense.

The object of this invention is to provide a construction by means of which the wooden shank of the picker stick may be used at least twice, the upper end of the wooden picker stick when worm being cut off and the wooden stick raised to present a new wearing portion to the picker, all without disturbing the proper cooperation of the lower end of the picker stick with its fulcrum point and with the usual return connector.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear lnore fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

As the invention is concerned entirely with the picker stick and its immediate connections to the 100111, it is only necessary here to illustrate and describe those parts of a loom with which the invention is directly concerned.

In the drawings: a

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view illustrating the picker stick and its connections to a loom.

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Fig. 2 is a View in transverse cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4:.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partially in vertical cross section of the lower end of a picker stick and its connections to the loom.

Fig. 4: is a view similar to Fig. 3 of the picker stick provided with a preferred form of metal extension of this invention.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a slightly different form of picker stick.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, in which the metal extension is combined with a construction of the type shown in Fig. 5.

The wooden picker stick 1 is of the type in which a' parallel motion is not employed. t is shown as engaging at its upper end a leather picker 2 sliding on a picker guide rod 3 a bearing pivot 4 in a metal shoe 5 on the end of the lay rock shaft 6. The picker is given its picking motion by a suitable connection 7 extending to the usual pick motion of the loom audits return movement by a suitable return connector or pull strap 8 connected at one end to the lower end of the picker stick and at its other end to a suitable spring, not shown. Such a picker stick receives at its upper end a great deal of wear where it engagesthepicker. The continual hanging of the stick on the picker, together with the relative vertical sliding movement which takes place between picker stick and thepicker rapidly breaks down the wood of the picker stick and causes it to jam or catch in the picker and prevent the proper picking of the shuttle.

In the preferred form of this invention shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4;, a wooden shank 9 having the construction of the usual wooden picker stick is provided and this shank has formed therein two longitudinally spaced transverse bearings herein shown as recesses 10 and 11 formed in the inner face of the stick. Vhen the wooden shank such as 9 is first used, it is so positioned, as in Figs. 1 and 3, that the bearing recess 10 fulcrums on the pivot 4. in the lay rock shaft 5 with the lower end of the shank 9 extend ing down in proper position to connect with the return connector or pull strap 8, as by a screw 12, in the usual manner.

When the upper end of the shank 9 has been worn in use, the metal extension is clamped to the shank 9 in such relation thereto as to enable the shank 9 to fulcrum on the lower bearing recess 11, while the metal extension extends down and presents the proper connection with the return connector 8. This raises the upper end of the picker stick to present a fresh bearing portion to the picker 2 and the damaged extreme upper end is then cut off.

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and is fulcruined at its lower end on 1 The picker stick as thus arranged with the metal extension is shown in Fig; 4. In the preferred construction there illustrated, the metal extension comprises a body portion 13 longitudinally braced by an integral rib 14 and is provided at its upper end with suitable means'for rigidly clamping it to the wooden shank 9 and atits lower end with suitable means for connection to the usual return connector or pull strap 8. In the preferred form illustrated, this metal extension at its upper end presents the inward projecting parallel ears 15 and 16 between which the wooden shank 9 fits snugly with its outer edge'resting against the body I 13 of the metal extension; A clamping bolt 17 locked in place by a nut 18 passes through the ears 15 and 16 and is provided between the ears with an eccentric portion 19 adapted to fit in the bearing recess 10. Thus by I rotarily adjusting the bolt as by applying a wrench or key to the fin 20 and then locking the bolt in place by the nut 18, the wooden shank '9 is rigidly clamped to the metal extension. It will thus be seen that the bearing'recess 10 which has previously functioned, as shown in Fig. 3, to fulcrum on the pivot 4, now cooperates with the clamping bolt to effect the rigid clamping properly position the pull strap and thus an efficient means is provided for positioning and connecting the metal extension with the .end of the pull strap.

"The form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is similar to that already described and the adjustment and use of parts of the picker stick are the same as that already described except that in this case the longitudinally spaced transverse bearings in the wooden shank of the picker stick are holes 23 and 24 passing directly through the shank, while theclamping bolt 25 is set correspondingly nearer the. body of the metal extension in order to cooperate with this form of transverse bearing.

\Vhile it will usually be found only possible to employ two transverse bearings in the wooden shank of the picker stick and thus to nse'the wooden shank but twice, it

may under certain conditions be possible to employ more than two transverse bearings and make more than two adjustments and it is to be understood that such a construction is within the purview of the invention.

The invention thus presents a simple and effective form of picker stick by which the wooden type of picker stick with its advantages is retained, while its life is at least doubled.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A picker stick for looms comprising a wooden shank having two longitudinally spaced transverse bearings, either of which is adapted to fulcrum on a bearing pivot on the lay rock shaft, a metal extension having at its lower end means for connecting with the usual return connector and means for rigidly clamping the metal extension to the shank so to lengthen the shank that its lower bearing may fulcrum on said pivot.

2. A picker stick for looms comprising the construction defined in claim 1, in which the metal extension at its upper portion fits against the outer edge of the shank and is provided with ears embracing the shank and in which the extension is clamped to the shank by a bolt passing through said ears with an eccentric section engaging the upper bearing in the shank.

3. A picker stick for looms comprising a wooden shank having two longitudinal] Y spaced transverse bearings, either of which is adapted to fulcrum on a bearing pivot on the lay rock shaft, a metal extension presenting at its lower end outward projecting ears and an intermediate outward projecting stud to position and connect with the end of the usual return connector and means for rigidly clamping the metal extension to the shank so to lengthen the shank that its lower bearing may culcrum on said pivot.

4. A metal extension for a picker stick for looms having at its upper end inward projecting cars to receive and position a wooden shank and at its lower end outward projecting ears and an. intermediate outward projecting stud to position and connect with the end of the usual return connector.

5. A metal extension for a. picker stick for looms comprising the construction defined in claim 4, together with a clamping bolt extending transversely through the ears at the upper end and having an eccentric section between the ears whereby a wooden shank may be clamped in place between the said ears by rotarily adjusting and locking the bolt.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

\VILLIAM A. TEBO. 

